I was born in the unheated bedroom of a one up, one down colliery house in a snowstorm. The midwife couldn’t get there so my Grandma delivered me. I spent much of my early childhood in that house as my mother worked and I loved it. It was a couple of doors down from the Trap, the social heart of Coxlodge.

Christmas traditions are celebrated widely around our region today. However when we look back a few hundred years we find that this was not always the case. Our Christmas traditions have waxed and waned over time.

Long time residents of Gosforth will recall a stationery shop on Gosforth High Street, Moods of Gosforth. As children, it was a treat to visit the shop and consider which of the books or stationery we might request for our next birthday or Christmas gift. These memories have prompted us to look at the history of this much-loved shop and its founder.